Jewellery designer Annoushka Ducas’ charm bracelet maps her life and travels, from her earliest memories to holidays she takes with her children. Here, she reveals the destinations behind each charm, casting her precious moments in solid gold.
TUSCANY, ITALY
THE YELLOW SUBMARINE CHARM
‘One of my earliest memories is dancing with my mother to the Beatles song “Yellow Submarine” while on holiday. She had a home in Lucca; lots of wonderful artist and sculptor friends lived locally, and we spent a great deal of time there when I was young. This motif sums up the warmth of a very joyful childhood.’
Hong Kong skyline
Mark Parren Taylor
WEST SUSSEX, UK
THE PAW CHARM
‘I adore dogs. I’ve had many: labradors, German pointers, French bulldogs. They epitomise family life – simple pleasures such as long walks over the South Downs in West Sussex, where I’ve lived for 25 years. My house is filled with all kinds of mad, dog-centric objects and ceramics. My obsession with their paws is slightly more unusual, but I love the smell and feel of them – it’s nostalgic.’
RUSSIA
THE FISH SKELETON CHARM
‘My mother, who was Russian, remains a source of strength for me. One of her numerous entrepreneurial pursuits was supplying wet fish to top restaurants in London. My first experience with jewellery was designing fish cufflinks for her clients; little did I know it was the start of a three-decade career. This piece signifies her tenacity, which she passed on to me.’
Hong Kong skyline
Mark Parren Taylor
HONG KONG
THE SEX ON LEGS CHARM
‘I met my husband John in Hong Kong in the 1980s and we got engaged here. It’s an inspiring place filled with ambition. When drawing up my charms, I thought John should be represented by a gorgeous nugget of gold, because he really is my rock; he said he didn’t want to be a bloody lump of gold, he wanted to be sex on legs! So that’s exactly what I created, right down to his favourite loafers.’
LONDON
THE PEAPOD CHARM
‘This is an emblem of new life and hope, so I set it with four freshwater pearls to symbolise my children, who were all born in London. Since moving back to the UK, John and I have made Pimlico our base. The capital has a magnetic attraction and has given me endless opportunities – it’s where we founded Annoushka.’
Philippines
Rod Ruales
THE PHILIPPINES
THE WORLD CHARM
‘I initially visited the Philippines 30 years ago when I owned Links of London and my silversmiths were based there. After launching Annoushka, I returned and met the pearl farmers in Iloilo whose livelihoods had been devastated by typhoons Haiyan and Hagupit. Back then I didn’t know a lot about the gems, but the farmers taught me so much about how they are grown that I now source pearls directly from them rather than the traditional way, via auctions.’
MEGEVE, FRANCE
THE CABLE CAR CHARM
‘It’s a typical French village and totally picturesque during the ski season when the old-fashioned red cable car is such a distinctive sight. We’ve been taking the kids here since they were small, so it’s packed with happy memories of being on the slopes in winter and canoeing and hiking in summer. The doors of this trinket open up and it comes with a tiny pair of skis.’
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